American Arrival
by Swizzle Stick
Summary: Emily Ciccone is an American girl who recently moved to England and found out that she is a witch. This story follows her and her new friends (Lily, James, etc.) through their seven years at Hogwarts.
1. Default Chapter

American Arrival  
  
Chapter 1: Going to Hogwarts  
  
"Bye Mum, bye Dad. I'll see you at Christmas," a girl named Emily said. Emily was no ordinary girl; she was a witch who was heading off for her first year of school at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Emily was about 5'4", with straight brown hair that reached her waist, and brown eyes with little flecks of gold in them. She had a creamy complexion with a light splash of freckles across her nose. She thought that she looked quite boring, despite everyone telling her that she was gorgeous. Emily's family had only moved to England a short time before her 11th birthday. Emily had been born and raised in America, in a state called Alabama. Her family moved because of her father's job, and Emily had been devastated to have to leave her friends, but the blow of moving had been lessened a little bit once she received her letter to go to Hogwarts.  
  
"Bye dear. We'll miss you so much while you're gone," her mother, Mrs. Ciccone said through her tears.  
  
Emily hugged both of her parents and walked cautiously through the barrier between platforms nine and ten.  
  
Once she was on the other side, she saw a sight that made her stop dead in her tracks. A huge scarlet train was sitting there as hundreds of students and their parents stood about saying tearful goodbyes.  
  
Emily headed towards the train and put her trunk in the luggage compartment. She kept her cat, Tom, and a little bag with her Hogwarts uniform and a couple of books, and started to look around for an empty compartment. She found one close to the back of the train, and let Tom out of his travel cage. He immediately jumped onto the seat across from her and curled up and fell asleep. Emily smiled at him and took out one of her favorite muggle books, Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine (A/N: That is actually one of my favorite books. If you haven't read it, you really should. It is so good).  
  
About ten minutes later, the door to her compartment opened and a very pretty girl with red hair that went halfway down her back, and sparkling green eyes came in.  
  
"Hi! Can I sit with you?" the girl asked brightly.  
  
"Sure," Emily answered.  
  
The girl sat down in an empty seat and said, "I'm Lily Evans. What is your name?"  
  
"I'm Emily Ciccone," Emily answered.  
  
"What year are you in?" Lily asked.  
  
"I'm a first year. How about you?" Emily asked.  
  
"I'm a first year too. I'm so nervous. I'm muggle born, and I don't know if I'll be able to do as well in class as everyone else," Lily confided. "I'm muggle born too. I don't really know anything about Hogwarts except for what I've read in Hogwarts: A History. You should read it if you haven't. It's really good," Emily said.  
  
"I've read it seven times already. It is already one of my favorites. Hogwarts just sounds so interesting. I can't wait until we get there. What house do you want to be in? Ravenclaw and Gryffindor sound the best in my opinion," Lily said, smiling that she had made a friend who was so much alike her.  
  
"I'd love to be in either of those. Slytherin sounds absolutely dreadful, and Hufflepuff just doesn't sound like somewhere I would end up being sorted," Emily replied.  
  
The girls talked about all sorts of things like books, movies they've seen, and their families.  
  
"I don't mean to be rude or offend you, but I don't think Petunia sounds like a very nice person," Emily said after Lily had told her about Petunia.  
  
"Don't worry about it. She is completely horrible and I can't stand her," Lily said.  
  
They talked for a while, and then changed into their Hogwarts robes before the train finally slowed, then stopped in Hogsmeade station.  
  
Emily and Lily made their way out of the train to an enormous man who was calling the first years over.  
  
"My name is Rubeus Hagrid, but you all can just call me Hagrid. (A/N I don't really feel like doing Hagrid's accent) I am the groundskeeper and keeper of the keys here at Hogwarts," the giant man boomed, with a friendly smile on his face, "Please get into the boats behind me. Four to a boat please."  
  
Emily and Lily scrambled to a boat, and were soon joined by two rowdy looking boys.  
  
Lily smiled at them and said, "Hi! I'm Lily Evans, and this is my friend Emily Ciccone."  
  
The boys smiled and said, "I'm Sirius Black, and this is James Potter."  
  
James was tall and thin. He had very untidy black hair that stuck out in all directions and light brown eyes that stared out from behind a pair of glasses. Sirius was also tall, but a little bit more built than James was. He had blue eyes that shone mischievously, and dark brown hair that almost reached his shoulders.  
  
"It's nice to meet you," Emily said.  
  
"You don't sound like you are from around here," James said to Emily, while she was silently cursing her heavy southern accent, that hadn't improved much in the two months that she had lived in England.  
  
"I'm actually from The United States. I lived in Alabama for all of my life, until I moved here about two months ago, right before my 11th birthday," Emily answered back.  
  
"That is so cool. I've never been out of England before now," Lily said enthusiastically.  
  
"Yeah, I miss it there a lot. It was such a surprise when we moved. I miss all of my old friends there too, but my mom said that we might go back during either Christmas or summer, so that I could see all of them," Emily replied.  
  
All of a sudden, the boats jerked to a stop in front of the biggest building Emily had ever seen. She gasped as she gazed at the castle that would be her home for the next seven years.  
  
Author's Note  
  
Hey Everyone! I hope that everyone likes this chapter. This story is sort of an experiment, and I hope that ya'll keep reading. Don't forget to review!! Thanks Swizzle Stick 


	2. The Sorting

American Arrival  
  
Disclaimer: Anything you recognize from the Harry Potter books does not belong to me. Everything else does.  
  
Chapter 2: The Sorting  
  
Everyone climbed out of the boats and followed Hagrid up to the great oak doors that led into the castle. Hagrid walked up and knocked three times with his huge fist. The first years could hear the knocks echoing throughout the building.  
  
The doors were then opened by a young, stern looking woman. She had her brown hair pulled into a tight bun on top of her head, and small silver- rimmed glasses.  
  
"Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am Professor Minerva McGonagall. I am the current transfigurations teacher, head of Gryffindor, and deputy headmistress. Please follow me."  
  
She led the students into a small room and turned to look at them.  
  
"In a moment, you shall be presented to the rest of the school. You will be sorted into one of the four houses. There are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff. Your house will be like your family for the next seven years. You will eat with your house at your house table. You will go to classes with these people, spend your free time in your common rooms with these people, and sleep in the dormitories with these people. Before we enter, please try to make yourselves look presentable." She said this last part while looking distastefully at James Potter's messy head of hair.  
  
She disappeared behind a door, and returned a few moments later.  
  
"Follow me."  
  
Professor McGonagall led them through the door that she had disappeared behind moments later. What the first years saw, made most of them gasp and look around in awe.  
  
The room that they were in was enormous. Four long tables stretched from one end of the hall to the other, before stopping in front of another table at the front of the room, which held the faculty.  
  
The four long tables held hundreds of students, all talking amongst themselves. Suddenly, the room fell silent as Professor McGonagall walked up to the front of the room carrying a stool and an old beat up hat. She placed the hat and the stool down, and turned to look intently at it. Emily noticed that the students at the four long tables also were gazing at the hat, so she turned to look to. To her immense surprise, a hole near the brim of the hat opened, and the hat began to sing.  
  
"I am the Hogwarts sorting hat, Though patched and frayed describe me, Just put me on your head, There's nothing I can't see. So just go ahead and try me on, And I'll tell you where you belong.  
  
Maybe you belong in Gryffindor, Where the courageous reside. Brave, daring, and chivalrous, Gryffindors will not hide.  
  
Perhaps you're more suited for Hufflepuff, Where they are patient, true, and loyal. Those Hufflepuffs, such a friendly bunch, And they're not afraid to toil.  
  
Or maybe you're a Ravenclaw, If you're not afraid of learning, Intelligent and witty, Ravenclaw is the house you're yearning.  
  
Last but not least is Slytherin, Very cunning folk indeed, They'll stop at no means, To get what they need.  
  
So don't be afraid to try me on, Don't worry I won't bite. I'll tell you where you ought to be, And maybe you'll see things in a new light!"  
  
After the hat had finished its song, the hall erupted in applause. Once the applause subsided, Professor McGonagall cleared her throat, and began to read the names of the first years in alphabetical order. "Anston, Charles," read McGonagall. A short brunette boy stumbled up to the stool, and sat down, placing the hat on his head. After a moment of silence, the hat shouted "HUFFLEPUFF!"  
  
"Black, Bellatrix" was the next name called. A girl with straight, shiny black hair strode up to the stool. She had bright blue eyes, and she would have been very pretty, if it weren't for the ugly sneer on her face. She put on the hat and it called out, "SLYTHERIN!"  
  
Emily wondered if she was related to Sirius.  
  
"Black, Sirius" was sorted into Gryffindor.  
  
Before she knew it, "Ciccone, Emily" was called. Lily squeezed her hand, and gave her an encouraging smile as she walked to the stool. She placed the hat on her head, and to her surprise, a little voice began to whisper in her ear.  
  
"Well now, let's see. You have a very good mind. You can also be quite cunning and witty, although I don't think Slytherin is the house for you. Maybe Ravenclaw, but no, you have a very nice sense of humor. It will have to be GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted the last bit aloud.  
  
Emily took off the hat and placed it on the stool before walking to the table that was cheering, and sitting beside Sirius who was grinning broadly at her.  
  
Emily smiled back, before turning her attention back to the sorting. A few more people were called before "Evans, Lily." Emily watched as Lily walked nervously up to the stool and put the hat on. It was silent for a moment before it shouted GRYFFINDOR.  
  
Lily came and sat across from Emily who grinned happily at the fact that her new friend was also in Gryffindor.  
  
Lily and Emily watched the sorting for a while before "Lupin, Remus" was called. A slightly pale boy with sandy brown hair walked up to the hat. There was a pause before GRYFFINDOR was heard. The girls clapped as the boy came and sat down next to Lily.  
  
Lily and Emily both smiled at the boy, which he returned, before looking back to the front of the hall.  
  
The sorting went on before "Pettigrew, Peter" was called. A slightly plump boy with blonde hair and beady blue eyes walked up to the stool, but before he got there, he tripped and fell flat on his face. Most of the hall began roaring with laughter as Peter stood and walked the rest of the way to the stool, blushing profusely. A bit later, GRYFFINDOR was called, and the boy came and sat next to Remus.  
  
Emily looked back up as "Potter, James" was called. GRYFFINDOR was shouted out almost immediately, and he came and sat by Sirius. A few minutes later, "Turpin, Reuven" was sorted into Gryffindor. He sat next to Emily. She turned to smile at him, which he returned. Reuven had light brown hair, and bright green eyes. He was tan, and had a terrific smile.  
  
After a few more people were sorted, Professor Dumbledore stood and said, "I have a few announcements to make before the feast begins. To all of you new students, and some of the old, the forbidden forest is just that, forbidden. There is also a list of items that are posted on the door of Mr. McKnight, the caretaker's, door. He would also like me to remind you that there is to be no magic done in the corridors between classes. Now, let's eat!"  
  
As he said this, mounds of food appeared in the middle of the tables, and the students began to fill their plates and eat.  
  
Emily noticed that Sirius and James seemed to have hit it off pretty well with Remus and Peter. They were all laughing at something Sirius had said, though Peter's laughter seemed more nervous than jovial.  
  
Emily turned to look at the boy next to her and said, "Hi, I'm Emily Ciccone."  
  
The boy turned to look at her and said, "It's nice to meet you Emily. I'm Reuven Turpin."  
  
Emily grinned at the boy and he smiled back. She began to strike up a conversation, "So, do you have any hobbies?"  
  
"Well, I love to play quidditch," he answered.  
  
"What's quidditch?" she asked.  
  
"I'm guessing that you must be muggle-born if you've never heard of quidditch," he said, and after she nodded, he continued to explain the rules of quidditch.  
  
"It sounds like a lot of fun," Emily said.  
  
"Yeah, it is," Reuven replied.  
  
Emily spent the rest of the feast talking happily to Lily, Reuven, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter, happy that she had made some new friends on her first day.  
  
After everyone finished, Dumbledore stood up and said, "Now that we are ale watered and fed, it is time to go to bed and rest. Remember that we have classes bright and early tomorrow. Will the prefects please lead the first years to the common rooms."  
  
They followed the prefects and stopped at a portrait of a fat lady wearing a pink dress. To Emily's surprise, the lady spoke. She said, "Password?"  
  
The prefect replied, "Griphook," and the portrait swung open, to reveal the common room. The prefects began, "Griphook is our password. The password will change every month, so look at the notice board where we will update them. You must remember the password, or else you will not be able to get into the common room. Also, do not tell anyone from another house the password as no one from other houses are supposed to be in our common room. Girls dormitories are upstairs, first door on your right, and boys are upstairs, first door on your left. We will be waiting in the common room at eight o'clock tomorrow morning to lead you to breakfast. You will need to learn your way around here. Goodnight everyone."  
  
The tired first years made there way upstairs and to their rooms. Emily and Lily walked into the room labeled first years' and walked over to the beds that had their trunks. They were pleased to note that they were next to each other. Emily noticed their other two roommates.  
  
"Hi, I'm Emily Ciccone, and this is Lily Evans."  
  
"Hi, I'm Sandra Taylor, and this is Amanda Saunders," one of the girls said. Sandra was tall with black hair that just reached her chin, and clear blue eyes. Amanda had curly, blonde hair that flowed halfway down her back, and bright lavender eyes. They were both very pretty.  
  
The girls all got along very well, and were talking for a while, before Emily turned to Lily and asked, "What did you think of those boys we sat with?"  
  
Lily replied, "They seemed nice enough. James and Sirius seemed kind of like pranksters or something. Remus seemed quieter, and Peter was kind of nervous looking."  
  
Emily said, "Yeah, they did seem nice. What did you think of Reuven?"  
  
Lily replied, "Well, you talked to him more than I did, but he seemed nice, and he is really cute."  
  
"Yeah, he is. I want to get to know him better. He was really interesting to talk to, and he was very nice."  
  
The conversation turned to other things as the girls changed into their pajamas and went to bed.  
  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX Author's Note XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  
  
Well I hope you liked this chapter. Let me know what you think. Review me!!!  
  
Thanks, Swizzle Stick XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 


	3. Questioning and a Study Date

American Arrival  
  
Ch 3:  
  
Disclaimer: I wish I could say that it was my brilliant mind that thought up the Harry Potter books, and all of the characters that dwell within them, but sadly, J.K. Rowling is the genius that came up with it all. Darn it. Why couldn't I have thought it up? Oh well.  
  
I want to thank...  
  
Carol: Thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed it so far.  
  
PatchLover08: Sorry for the delay. I'll try to get my chapters out quicker. Who doesn't love Ella Enchanted?  
  
Lady of Masbolle: Thanks for reviewing me! You have been one of my most dedicated readers and have reviewed like every chapter of all of my stories. I'm glad you like it so far.  
  
Molly: I did put a lot of time into it. I hope to see you soon. It's kind of sad that we don't hang out more since we live so close together. Also, if you have any ideas of England/ Alabama culture clashes, I'd love to hear them!  
  
Andrew: Hey Andy!! I'm glad you liked it so far. How was California?  
  
Sarah15: I'm glad you like it so far. I hope you keep reading it!  
  
Tracey: Who didn't cry like a baby when Sirius died? I know I sure did. He and Remus were like my favorite characters. Thanks for reviewing!!  
  
Now, onto the story:  
  
Emily was awoken that morning by a very hyper Amanda. She was bouncing up and down on Emily's bed.  
  
"Come on! You need to wake up. It is 7:30 and we need to be in the common room to go down to breakfast at 8:00!" Amanda exclaimed.  
  
Emily leapt out of bed, grabbed her uniform and ran to the bathroom to take a shower.  
  
About twenty minutes later, Emily came out of the bathroom, braiding her waist-length hair.  
  
Amanda was tapping her foot impatiently and sighed, "Aren't you guys ready to go yet?"  
  
"Just a minute. Let me finish my hair," Emily replied.  
  
"I love your hair. It is so pretty. I wish I could grow my hair that long," Sandra said.  
  
"Thanks. It took me seven years to get my hair this long," Emily replied smiling.  
  
Amanda gave an impatient sigh and began pacing the room.  
  
"Alright, we're ready," Lily said.  
  
The girls walked down to the common room to see the first year guys already waiting for the prefects. The girls walked over to where the boys were sitting. Emily sat next to Reuven and asked, "How long have ya'll been waiting?"  
  
Reuven looked at her and smiled. He replied, "We came down about twenty minutes ago. The prefects haven't come yet, but I wish they'd hurry up because I'm starving."  
  
Emily laughed and said, "Yeah, me too. I wonder what's taking them so long."  
  
Sirius, James, Remus, and Peter looked at each other with mischievous grins on their faces.  
  
Emily looked at Reuven and asked, "What did they do?"  
  
Reuven just shrugged smiling slightly.  
  
Just then, the prefects came down with murderous glares at the people who were laughing. "Who did this?" the male prefect, Roger Smith, asked gesturing to his now lime green hair and pink robes.  
  
Sirius, Remus, Peter, and James burst out laughing and stood up. Sirius said, "It was us, the new Marauders of Hogwarts!" (A/N: I don't think that they became the Marauders so early, but I got tired of typing all of their names out.)  
  
The female prefect, Janelle Bones said, "Well Marauders of Hogwarts, unless you want detention on your first night of school, you will return our hair and robes to their original state."  
  
Sirius was about to reply that they'd rather the detention, but before he could speak, Remus returned everything to normal with a wave of his wand.  
  
"Remus! What did you do that for?" Sirius asked.  
  
"Well, I don't fancy the idea of having detention the first night. I also want to get to breakfast, and I didn't think they'd take us until we set their robes and hair right. Don't you agree?" Remus asked as Sirius nodded his head in agreement.  
  
The prefects walked the first years down to breakfast. Emily sat down next to Lily and across from Sandra and Amanda. Reuven sat down next to Emily and she asked, "Did you know about that?"  
  
"About what?" Reuven asked while pouring himself a glass of pumpkin juice.  
  
"About the prank," Emily said.  
  
"Well, they were talking about changing the prefects' robes pink, but I suggested the lime green hair."  
  
"Does that make you a member of the Marauders?" Emily asked.  
  
"No. I'm more of an idea person. I just can't actually carry out my pranks. So basically, they asked me if I want to be a Marauder, but I told them that I'm not able to prank people. I'll give them ideas if they need them, but that is about it," Reuven replied, grinning.  
  
"Why can't you prank people?"  
  
"I always feel really guilty afterwards and I end up apologizing. That doesn't really suit the whole prankster or marauder image," Reuven said.  
  
"So I guess that means that you are just too nice to prank people," Emily said grinning at Reuven.  
  
"I guess so," Reuven replied.  
  
Sandra tapped Emily on her shoulder and said, "We should go ahead and leave so that we won't be late."  
  
"Alright. Do you want to walk with us?" Emily asked Reuven.  
  
"That's alright. I'll just walk with the guys. Thanks anyway," Reuven replied smiling.  
  
"Okay then," Emily replied and left with the other girls.  
  
As they were walking down a corridor on their way to their first class, transfiguration, Lily said to Emily, "You like him, don't you?"  
  
"Like who?" Emily asked.  
  
"Reuven. You were talking to him the entire time at breakfast. Sirius was trying to get your attention for like five minutes," Amanda replied.  
  
"He was? I didn't notice, and no I do not like Reuven Turpin as anything more than a friend. I mean we are only eleven years old, and I don't really even know him yet. There's plenty of time for that later. I just want to be friends. Maybe we can be more when we're older. He is cute after all," Emily said, giggling at the last part.  
  
"Well then, why were you flirting the entire time?" Sandra asked.  
  
"I wasn't flirting," Emily replied.  
  
"Then why did you keep grinning at him?" Lily asked with a smile on her face.  
  
"Because we were talking about pranking and his involvement with the Marauders. Plus he was smiling at me, so I smiled back. He just seems to be a naturally smiley person," Emily said nonchalantly.  
  
The other girls just smiled at each other as they reached the transfiguration room. As they walked in, they noticed that the Marauders and Reuven were surprisingly already present.  
  
"Hey Emily, over here," Reuven called to her.  
  
Emily walked over and sat in the empty seat next to Reuven. Sandra, Lily, and Amanda smirked at her, but thankfully Reuven didn't notice.  
  
Emily shot them a look, and asked Reuven, "How did ya'll get here so fast? We left before ya'll did."  
  
"We actually asked for directions, but James and Sirius are telling everyone else who asks that we have our ways."  
  
"That is very interesting. Does that mean that you and the other boys are friends?" Emily asked.  
  
"I guess. We aren't like best friends or anything, but I don't mind them, and I don't think they mind me. We get along pretty well," Reuven answered.  
  
"Well, what about us? Do you consider us to be friends?" Emily asked.  
  
"Yeah. You seem nice so far, and I like talking to you. Do you consider us friends?"  
  
"Yeah. I like talking to you too. We should get to know each other better though," Emily said.  
  
"I agree that we need to get to know each other. Why don't we do our homework together tonight, and we can talk," Reuven suggested.  
  
"Sounds good. How about seven in the common room?" Emily asked.  
  
"Sure, that sounds fine," Reuven answered.  
  
Just then Professor McGonagall appeared where a tawny cat had been moments earlier. Everyone cheered and Sirius shouted out, "That was bloody brilliant."  
  
"Thank-you Mr. Black," the professor answered before starting the class with a lecture.  
  
The rest of the classes that day were pretty much the same. Before she knew it, it was time for Emily to meet Reuven in the common room to do homework.  
  
"Hey," she said, sitting down in at a table across from him.  
  
"Hey," he replied.  
  
"So, tell me something about yourself," Emily asked Reuven.  
  
"Well, what do you want to know?" he asked.  
  
"Tell me about your family, or where you live, or something like that."  
  
"Well, I live in a very nice house in the country in England with my parents, two brothers, and two sisters. My mom is a reporter for the Daily Prophet, and my father is an auror. My brothers are Daniel and John. Daniel is five and he gets into everything. John is ten, and he'll be coming to Hogwarts next year. My sisters are Megan and Hannah. Megan is fourteen and she is in fourth year here already. Hannah is three and she loves to play dress-up. She thinks that taking my shirts and using them to play with is funny. She always giggles when I catch her playing with them. We all get along very well with each other. I miss them a lot, but I'll see them during Christmas. What about your family?" Reuven asked.  
  
"Well, I live in a house in England with my mom, step-dad, and half-sister. They're all muggles. My mom is a teacher. She teaches third grade at an elementary school that isn't very far from where we live. My step-dad is an engineer, a person who designs buildings and stuff. My half-sister, Elizabeth, is two. She is so cute, and I miss her bunches. My real father still lives in Alabama. We moved from there about two months ago, right before my eleventh birthday. My parents got divorced when I was eight, and a little over a year later, my mom married Jim, my step-dad. I used to be able to see my dad all the time before we moved. My mom promised that I could go visit him this summer, and I'll be there almost all summer. I'll get back to England two weeks before school start. I can't wait to see him. I mean, I love Jim and everything. He's great and he makes my mom happy, but my dad is still my real dad, you know?" I asked.  
  
"Yeah, I know what you mean. Why did you move here?" he asked.  
  
"Because the company that Jim works for made him relocate here. I don't mind it though. At first, I was really upset that I had to leave my friends, but then I got my Hogwarts letter, and that was kind of amazing. I'm glad we moved here, because otherwise, I'd be at some American wizarding school," Emily answered.  
  
They continued to talk for a while, before heading up to bed with their homework finished.  
  
When Reuven entered his dormitory, the Marauders were already in there.  
  
"Where have you been? We haven't seen you since dinner, and that was hours ago," Sirius asked.  
  
"I was down in the common room, doing my homework and talking with Emily," Reuven answered as he changed into his pajamas.  
  
"You are spending an awful lot of time with her," James said as the other three Marauders nodded on agreement.  
  
"We're friends. I like to talk to her. Is there something wrong with that?" Reuven asked.  
  
"No there's nothing wrong with that. Do you like her?" Remus asked.  
  
"I only like her as a friend. We are eleven after all," Reuven answered.  
  
"Yeah, but she is really pretty. All of those girls are," Sirius replied.  
  
"Yeah, I know that she is pretty, but I'm not ready for a girlfriend or anything like that right now. Maybe when we're older," Reuven answered before pulling the hangings shut around his bed and falling asleep.  
  
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Author's Note  
  
Hey everyone! I hope you like this chapter. Tell me what you think in a review. I have a question though. Do ya'll think that Reuven and Emily should get together? I mean when they are older like in third or fourth year. Let me know!! Also, should I put in more of the marauders and the other girls?  
  
Swizzle Stick (((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( 


	4. Beginnings of a Prank War

American Arrival  
  
Chapter 4: Beginnings of a Prank War  
  
Disclaimer: You know the drill. Anything you recognize from Harry Potter isn't mine. Emily, Reuven, Sandra, and Amanda are however.  
  
I want to thank Lady of Masbolle so much. You have once again reviewed another of my chapters. I'm so happy that you have liked my story enough to keep reading and reviewing every chapter. I just want to say thank-you and that I appreciate the fact that you take the time to review.  
  
I'd also like to thank everyone else who reviewed. I'm sorry that I didn't list your names, but I will in my next chapter.  
  
Also, I need to say thanks to my sister, Sarah, who helped me with this chapter.  
  
The days past into weeks, and before Emily knew it, their first month at Hogwarts had passed. Emily, Lily, Sandra, Amanda, the Marauders, and Reuven were all sitting in the common room talking one evening.  
  
At the moment Sirius was telling a rather stupid joke. He'd just delivered the punch line and he and Peter were laughing at his joke hysterically, while everyone else just chuckled politely.  
  
"So, what are you Marauders going to do next. It has been an awfully long time since you pulled a prank on anyone," Sandra asked.  
  
"Well, we have a prank in mind at the moment," James answered, grinning.  
  
"What is it? Who are you going to pull it on?" Amanda asked.  
  
"Well, that is a surprise. We can't divulge the secret prank ideas of the Marauders. Otherwise, you wouldn't be surprised when it happens," Sirius answered. "Right Remus?"  
  
Remus nodded from behind his book.  
  
"What are you reading?" Lily asked.  
  
"It is a book on dark creatures, you know, vampires, dementors, werewolves, that kind of thing."  
  
"I absolutely adore werewolves. I think they're fascinating," Emily said.  
  
"Really?" Remus looked up from his book for the first time that night.  
  
"Yeah. I mean, I know they're dangerous when transformed, and I wouldn't want to meet a transformed one, but all the same, I'd love to meet a real werewolf," Emily sighed.  
  
Remus nodded and started reading his book again, a small smile on his face.  
  
"Well gents, I think we ought to be heading up to bed. Night," James called to the girls, as the other boys echoed their goodnights.  
  
"I wonder why they're going to bed so early. It is only ten o'clock. They usually don't go to bed until midnight," Amanda said.  
  
"It is pretty obvious. They are getting ready for the prank. I bet they are going to pull it tonight," Lily replied.  
  
"Yeah, I bet you're right. Should we head up to bed too, then?" Sandra asked.  
  
"Sure," Emily answered.  
  
Up in the boys' dormitory, the Marauders were putting the finishing touches on their prank, while Reuven watched from his bed.  
  
"Do you have to pull the prank on the girls? I mean can't you do it on the Slytherins or the rest of the school? They are going to be so mad at you," Reuven told them.  
  
"We have to pull the prank on them. We haven't pulled one on them yet, and we've done almost everyone else in the school," Sirius answered.  
  
"But don't you think it is a little bit cruel? The girls haven't been anything but nice to you, and this is how you repay them. By pranking them. I just don't think it sounds right." Reuven answered.  
  
"Listen, we are pulling the prank, not you. We can pull it on anyone we want to, and if you say another word against it, we'll be sure to pull one on you," James said.  
  
"Fine," Reuven answered, pulling the curtains around his bed shut.  
  
"I'm sorry Reuven. I didn't mean it," James apologized.  
  
"I don't care if you meant it or not," Reuven replied. Then he grabbed a small book and a quill from inside of his nightstand before muttering a locking and a silencing spell on his curtains before James could say anything else.  
  
He sat propped up against his pillows and opened his journal to the first clean page and wrote:  
  
Friday, October 5  
  
James is being a real prat. I'm getting rather fed up with it actually. Sirius and Peter aren't being loads nicer or anything, but Remus is still being pleasant. I don't think he is capable of being mean.  
  
I can't believe that he is actually going along with them on this whole pranking thing. I wouldn't care if the prank was on the rest of the school, but to prank the girls! I'm glad I'm not included in this. I tried to warn them. The girls aren't going to be very forgiving about this, and I don't blame them. I don't know what the prank is. They wouldn't tell me because they figured that I would tell the Emily about it. I'd only tell her about it if it were really cruel.  
  
Still on the topic of Remus, he has been acting rather odd lately. He has been absent twice so far this school year, claiming that his mum has been ill and that he must go visit her. I do hope that she is all right. When Remus returns, he is always very pale and sickly looking. Well, more so than normal anyway. He also has all of these scars on his arms. I saw them one day when he rolled up his sleeves. I asked him about them, but he just said that he had just fallen, and that it was no big deal. He said it was just him being clumsy. I for one know that Remus J. Lupin is not at all clumsy.  
  
Oh well. I guess I'll ask him some other time.  
  
Back to the prank thing, maybe I shouldn't give them any more ideas if they are going to use them against the girls. Emily is my best friend, no offense to the guys or anything. I just feel comfortable around her. I hope she'll believe me when I say that I had no part in this prank. Maybe she will think that it is funny, but I highly doubt it.  
  
As he finished the entry, he heard the door to the dormitory open, and the unmistakable sound of the Marauders come in. They were laughing and whispering to themselves, as they got ready for bed.  
  
Reuven opened his curtain and put his journal away before extinguishing his lamp and going to bed.  
  
  
  
The next morning, he woke up very early. Remus wasn't even awake yet, and he was always the first to rise. Reuven grabbed his clothes and headed to the bathroom to get ready.  
  
He walked down to the common room with a book, but as soon as he sat down, he heard shrieks and screams coming from the girls' dormitories.  
  
Reuven placed his book on the couch and ran up the stairs to the girls' dormitories to see what the commotion was about.  
  
It appeared he wasn't the only one who wanted to see what was going on. Dozens of girls were poking their heads out of doors and into the halls, asking each other if anyone knew what was going on.  
  
Reuven walked to the door that said first years' on it. He knocked on the door, and it was opened by Emily. Upon seeing that it was Reuven, she opened the door wider and allowed him to come in.  
  
"Who screamed?" he asked.  
  
"It was us," Amanda said on the verge of tears.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"The Marauders filled our beds with mice, snakes, frogs, and spiders," Emily asked.  
  
She led him toward her bed, which was still occupied by the said creatures.  
  
"Do you want me to get rid of them?" Reuven asked.  
  
"Yes please," Sandra replied.  
  
He said a spell, and the mice, snakes, spiders, and frogs were gone.  
  
"Thank-you so much. When I find those Marauders, I swear I am going to strangle them all," Lily said.  
  
"Wait a minute. You told me that you usually come up for the ideas of the Marauders pranks. You didn't have anything to do with this one did you?" Emily asked, glancing at Reuven accusingly.  
  
"No, I had no idea what they were going to do. They wouldn't tell me because they figured that I would tell you," Reuven answered.  
  
"I have an idea. Reuven, are you on our side, or theirs with this whole prank thing?" Lily asked.  
  
"I'm on your side," Reuven answered immediately.  
  
"Then, would you help us think up a prank to perform on the Marauders? You don't have to help us pull it, just help us come up with an idea," Lily replied.  
  
"I don't know. I don't think I'd feel right, plotting against them," Reuven said.  
  
"We won't tell them that you had any part in it at all. You'll just act surprised when we pull it. Just don't help them think up a counter attack," Sandra said.  
  
"Okay then, I'll help," Reuven answered.  
  
Emily hugged him and said, "Thanks a ton. We'll have an awesome prank now that you are helping us."  
  
Reuven smiled at the girls and left, saying that he would meet up with them later. He went down to the common room and grabbed his book. He took it up to his dormitory and saw that the other boys were awake.  
  
"Where have you been?" Remus asked him.  
  
"With the girls," Reuven replied.  
  
"Did they find our little surprise?" Sirius asked, grinning.  
  
"Yeah, and they are extremely ticked off. I wouldn't go anywhere near them if I were you," Reuven responded.  
  
He walked over to his bed and gathered his notebook that he usually wrote down prank ideas in, a bottle of ink, and a quill. He started to walk towards the door when James asked, "Where are you going?"  
  
"It is none of your business. I am simply going on a walk," Reuven stated.  
  
"You're going on a walk with a bottle of ink, a notebook, and a quill?" James asked.  
  
"Yes," Reuven answered shortly before exiting the room.  
  
"Do you think he is mad at us?" James asked his fellow Marauders.  
  
"Yes. We did prank Emily, and you know how close they are. Plus, I don't know if you remember or not, but last night you were being a complete arse, James," Remus replied.  
  
"I figured he would have forgiven me for that by now," James said.  
  
"Let's go down to breakfast," Sirius said. "I'm famished."  
  
When they reached the common room, they saw the girls. As they were walking over to them, James called out, "Hey girls! Did ya'll sleep well with the critters?"  
  
Amanda leapt up from her position on the couch, and before the other girls could stop her, she'd punched James in the nose.  
  
James sank to his knees, nursing his bloody, and probably broken, nose.  
  
"What the hell did you do that for?" Sirius asked. The girls reached Amanda and grabbed her by the arms to keep her from punching Sirius.  
  
"She is a little angry from the prank this morning," Emily replied coldly.  
  
"A little angry? She just broke James's nose! I think that is more than a little angry," Peter replied wide-eyed, as he moved behind Sirius for protection.  
  
"If I were you, I'd take Potter to the hospital wing. He is getting blood all over the carpet," Lily said nonchalantly before letting go of Amanda's arm and walking out of the portrait hole, closely followed by the other girls.  
  
When they were out of hearing distance from the boys, Sandra said, "Amanda! That was bloody brilliant! I didn't know you could punch that well!"  
  
"My dad taught me how to fight when I was younger," Amanda replied in a tone of voice that made it sound like it was no big deal, but she was grinning broadly.  
  
The girls continued on their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast. When they arrived, they sat in their usual seats, and relished the fact that the Marauders, James now having a bandage on his nose, sat as far away from them as possible.  
  
When they finished breakfast, they walked out to the lake, and saw Reuven sitting against a tree, scribbling furiously in a notebook.  
  
They walked over to him and sat down.  
  
"What are you doing?" Lily asked Reuven.  
  
"I'm just thinking up some ideas for pranks," he answered.  
  
"What are your ideas so far?" Emily asked.  
  
"Well, some of my ideas so far are, stealing the Marauders underwear and hanging it in the Great Hall, putting dye in the pipes that lead to our showers so that the Marauders are dyed bright pink. For that one, I'll take a shower before you put the dye in. Another idea is slipping something into their pumpkin juice so that they have to sing opera music for a week, but I thought that one might be better for the Slytherins. We could also do something with the pumpkin juice, so that they'd have to dance on the tables in the Great hall, singing muggle songs," Reuven answered. "But I am still plotting."  
  
"I like the dancing on the tables, and the dye one," Sandra said.  
  
"Oh my gosh! I just had a stroke of genius!" Reuven exclaimed.  
  
He motioned for the girls to come closer, and he whispered his idea. Identical evil grins broke out on all four girls faces.  
  
"Now, the only problem is, how do we go about doing it?" Amanda asked with a devilish grin on her face.  
  
  
  
Author's Note:  
  
I didn't like this chapter very much. The next one should be loads better. I really didn't like the Marauders prank, but I did like the part where James gets his nose broken. I usually love James, but I decided that he was getting a bit cocky, and needed to be brought down a few notches.  
  
That is one reason I love writing these stories. I get to decide what happens to the characters. Please review and tell me what you think so far.  
  
Swizzle Stick 


	5. A Little Slice of Revenge

American Arrival

Disclaimer: Any ideas or characters that you recognize from the Harry Potter books don't belong to me. The stuff you don't recognize, you can safely assume it does belong to me.

I'd like to thank the following for chapter three:

Patchlover08: I've gotten that response from most people about Reuven and Emily. I might have to look into it. Thanks for reviewing!

Danny Frank: I'm glad you've enjoyed my story so far, and I hope not to disappoint you or anyone else in future chapters.

Lady of Masbolle: Well, I'm glad you think my story is great, and once again, thank-you for reviewing every chapter so far!

I'd also like to say thanks to the people who reviewed chapter four so far:

Molleh: Thanks so much for reviewing! I'm glad that you also liked the part where Amanda punched James in the nose. It was one of my favorite parts, even though I love James. I'm glad that you've liked my story so far. I haven't seen you since school let out! We have to get together soon.

PatchLover08: Thank-you so much for reviewing! You have reviewed all of my chapters so far. You are one of my favorite reviewers, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon.

Chapter 5: A Little Slice of Revenge

It was late one afternoon, about a week from the Marauders' prank on the girls. Lily, Amanda, Sandra, Emily, and Reuven sat in the first year girls' dormitory, discussing a prank idea that Reuven had come up with, that would blow the past pranks of the Marauders away.

"I can't wait to see the looks on their faces after we prank them. I'll bet they won't even see it coming," Amanda said.

"I think they might have some suspicions that you are going to do something. They keep asking me if I have noticed any strange behavior, or plotting going on. Of course I tell them, no I haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary. Maybe you are all just becoming paranoid. We need to finish the plans for this prank as quickly as possible. Lily, have you found all of the charms that we are going to need?" Reuven asked.

"Yeah, I can use simple glamour spells, with a twist of course," Lily replied.

"Good. We should be able to pull it off by tomorrow night," Reuven said. "Remember, I will pretend to be asleep, so that if you have any problems, you can come over and get me."

"I'm so excited! It will be so much fun," Sandra said happily.

"We'd better head down to dinner. It'll be starting soon, and you'll probably want to meet up with the Marauders and eat with them, until we pull the prank. Tell them that you've forgiven them for pranking us, so that tomorrow, they won't suspect you," Emily said.

Reuven nodded, and they got up and left for the Great Hall.

"Hey guys," Reuven said to the Marauders, as he sat down next to Remus.

"Hi," they chorused.

"Are you still mad at us?" Peter asked.

"No. I guess I'm not, and I missed talking to you guys. I've only been talking to the girls for the past week. I mean, I like talking to them, but it is a little bit different from talking with the guys," Reuven said.

"Welcome back," Sirius said.

When they finished eating, they went back to the common room, and hung out and did their homework, before going to bed.

The next morning went as usual, and none of the marauders suspected that anything unusual would happen that night.

"Since it is Friday, and we get a half day today, do you guys want to go visit Hagrid? He sent an owl inviting us for tea anytime we had a moment," James asked.

"Sure," Peter and Reuven replied.

"What about you Sirius?" James asked.

"I have detention from that prank that I pulled on that annoying, greasy-haired git, Snape, in potions. I think it was the one where I put the filibuster firework in his cauldron, when we were making that shrinking potion. It was really funny though. It is a good thing that he is good in potions, because when the cauldron exploded, everyone who got hit with the potion started shrinking. It was hilarious, and well worth an afternoon of scrubbing out cauldrons with the Professor Brewer," Sirius said.

"I don't know about that," Remus replied. Professor Brewer, the potions professor had a nasty attitude, that he especially showed to the Gryffindors, since he was head of Slytherin.

"Yeah, you're probably right. It will be torture, but I don't mind. I've decided to break the school's record of most detentions served in the seven years. The current record is 987. I've already gotten 27. I figure that it is a start," Sirius said.

"That is a really stupid goal Sirius," Remus said.

"Oh well, let him have his fun," James said.

The school day continued on as normal, and soon four of the five boys were outside on their way to Hagrid's hut.

"Come on girls, the Marauders are spending the day at Hagrid's so we should be able to use the library for a little last minute research. Then we can head up to the dorms and cast the spells before they get back," Reuven told Emily, Lily, Sandra, and Amanda.

"I'm so excited! This is going to be so much fun. I can't wait to see the looks on their faces once they realize what happened. They'll be the laughing stock of the whole school," Amanda said happily.

"Well, let's head on down to the library. We still have a lot of work to do," Lily said.

The five Gryffindors made their way to the library where they spent the better part of two hours reading up on the various spells that they would need to accomplish their prank.

Once they had decided that they had made enough notes, Emily, Lily, Sandra, and Amanda followed Reuven to the first year boys' dormitory.

"Oh my gosh, what is that smell? It is awful," Sandra said while holding her nose.

"It smells like someone died in here. I think I'm going to be sick," Lily said.

"It always smells like that in here. Actually, it smells better than it normally does. I guess the house elves finally found the piles of dirty clothes under James and Sirius's beds. Don't worry, you'll get used to it," Reuven said offhandedly.

"I think it would worry me more if I did get used to the smell," Emily said, "Come on, we don't have much time. We should have left the library sooner than this. Reuven, can you watch out the window and let us know when the other guys leave Hagrid's?"

"Sure. You girls need to get busy. It will be time for dinner soon, and you know that Sirius isn't likely to miss a meal. Peter may be the only person in the world who eats more than him."

They spent the next half hour putting up various charms and spells around all of the beds except for Reuven's.

"Hurry girls, they are leaving now," Reuven warned.

"Just one more spell and we'll be finished," Lily said.

"Okay, let's go," Emily said.

They left the dormitory and plopped down on a couple of sofas and chairs in the common room. About five minutes later, the Marauders entered the common room and joined their circle.

"When's dinner?" Peter asked.

"The same time it always is mate," James answered from his place next to Lily.

"But I'm starving. I'll absolutely die if I don't get some food in me soon," Sirius whined as he took a seat next to Emily. Sirius then dramatically put a hand to his forehead and fainted so that his head was on Emily's shoulder.

"Oh quit being such a drama queen Sirius. You could afford to skip a meal or two you know," Emily said jokingly while prodding him in the stomach.

"Are you calling me fat?" Sirius asked, offended.

"No, of course not. I'm sure the couple of pounds that you've gained while you've been here can be worked off in no time," Emily said before she erupted in a fit of giggles as Sirius began spluttering.

"I'll have you know I have not gained a single pound since I've been here thank-you very much," Sirius said as he made a pouty face and crossed his arms.

"You do realize you are acting like a little kid, right?" Emily pointed out.

"I can act like whatever I want to act like," Sirius said.

"Um, if I may interrupt your highly amusing conversation, it is time for dinner," Reuven said.

"Yay! We get to go eat FOOD now!" Sirius exclaimed happily before he bounced, literally, down to the Great Hall.

The rest of the first year Gryffindors laughed at Sirius and followed him to the Great Hall.

"Emily, can we talk to you for a second?" Lily, Sandra, and Amanda asked.

"Sure, we'll catch up to you in the hall guys," Emily called.

They turned left and walked into an abandoned classroom. "What did ya'll want to talk to me about?" Emily asked.

"Well, did you happen to notice how upset Reuven was when you were talking to Sirius?" Amanda asked.

"What are you talking about? We were just talking, and why would Reuven get mad? I can be friends with whoever I want to," Emily said.

"It looked to the rest of us like you two were flirting. I mean, you kept poking him in the stomach and making little jokes with him, and he had his head on your shoulder and was responding to the jokes. It looked like Reuven got a little jealous," Lily said cautiously.

"I highly doubt that Reuven was jealous. I'm sure he doesn't like me, and I was just play flirting. It is fun to do, and I'm sure Sirius was just playing along. It meant nothing. Sirius flirts with anything that will flirt back. You all know that, and Reuven knows it too," Emily replied. "Why don't we go eat now? I'm starving, and I want to go talk with the guys."

"Okay, if you are sure there is nothing going on."

With that, the girls headed down for dinner.

"Where have ya'll been?" Sirius asked around a mouthful of baked potato.

"Eww Sirius. That is so gross. Don't talk with your mouth full. Didn't your mother ever teach you any manners?" Amanda asked.

"Of course she taught me manners. For instance, always open the door for a lady and don't ever eat salad with a dinner fork, unless you want to completely offend your host," Sirius said. "Come on James, let's show them what two years of training by Madame Fancypants did for us. Our parents made us take etiquette courses from her when we were younger. They said that once we were old enough to go to the balls and all of the high society parties that they go to regularly, we would need to actually know this stuff. Quite a waste of time if you ask me, though I do believe James had a crush on Madame Fancypants," Sirius sniggered the last part as James whacked him on the back of the head.

"You know very well that I didn't have a crush on Madame Fancypants. She was an old wrinkly witch that had bad breath and frizzy hair. She was also one of the most boring ladies I've ever had to listen to."

"Is her name really Madame Fancypants?" Amanda asked.

"No, but that is what me and Jamesey called her. I can't remember what her real name is, and that was totally uncalled for James," Sirius said as James whacked him again.

"I've told you a million times not to call me Jamesey or any of the other stupid little nicknames you have for me," James said.

"Well, sorry. I won't ever call you another name ever again Jamesey-Poo," Sirius said.

"Don't do that!" James yelled as he hit Sirius yet again. Unfortunately for James, this seemed to have no effect on Sirius who was laughing uncontrollably now.

James turned away mumbling something about wondering how he ever got stuck with such a prat for a friend.

"Aww, you know you love me Jamesey," Sirius cooed.

"Do you want to demonstrate our perfect etiquette or not?"

"Okay, you can be the woman, because I am much more manly than you are," Sirius said.

"In your dreams," James retorted.

James and Sirius stood up next to the table and practiced bowing and curtsying to one another. They greeted each other and continued to act in this manner until Remus made them sit down.

"Back to Sirius's first question. Where were ya'll?" James asked.

"We were talking in an abandoned classroom," Emily said. "It really wasn't a big deal."

"What were ya'll talking about?" Reuven asked.

"That would be none of your business," Lily replied.

"You know, we really should head up to the common room girls. We have all of that potions homework to do because Professor Brewer is a nasty little git," Amanda said.

The other girls agreed, and they headed to the common room, leaving the boys in the Great Hall.

"What is up with them? Amanda usually puts off doing her homework until the last minute. Why did she seem in such a hurry to go do it now?" Sirius asked.

"Maybe because it is the last minute. The essays are due tomorrow, and we have potions first," Remus answered.

"Oh my gosh, I completely forgot about that essay!" Sirius exclaimed before jumping out of his seat and dashing out of the Great Hall.

"How could he forget that essay? I feel sorry for him. It was a five-footer too," Remus said.

James looked at Remus sheepishly before sprinting out of the Great Hall after Sirius.

"Those two. When will they ever learn to stop putting their work off?" Remus asked.

"I doubt they will ever learn. They'll just continue to copy your homework," Reuven answered, smiling slightly.

"I'm sure they will learn when I stop letting them copy my homework," Remus replied huffily.

"You know that you won't stop allowing them to copy it. They are your best friends, and you are too nice to let them fail."

"Yeah, I guess you are right. I'd feel awful if they failed and I could have done something to prevent it. I am tired of them constantly copying it though. They should at least attempt it on their own."

"Well, you could always talk to them about it," Reuven suggested.

"I think I will. Thanks," Remus said.

They got up and left the Great Hall with Peter following behind.

Once the girls arrived in the common room and finished their homework, Amanda and Sandra started up a game of wizard's chess. Meanwhile, Lily and Emily were reading, waiting for the glorious moment when the Marauders would go to bed. Once they were asleep, Reuven would cast a sleeping charm over them just to make sure that they wouldn't wake up. Then he would send over a signal to let the girls know that they were asleep.

"I think I'm going to turn in. Night guys," Emily said.

"Yeah I think I'll join her," Lily said.

"Can I come too?" Sirius asked.

"I don't think McGonagall would take too kindly to that when she does her rounds to make sure everyone is in bed," Amanda said between giggles.

"Night Emily, Lily," Reuven said.

"Yeah, night girls," Remus and James chorused.

"Are you sure I can't come?" Sirius asked.

"Yes, I'm sure, Sirius. Maybe sometime we could all have a sleepover in the common room. That would be a lot of fun. Let's do it on a night that we don't have school the next morning," Emily suggested.

"Yeah, let's do it. That would be so much fun. Just the first years," James said.

Everyone agreed to have a sleepover in the common room.

"Why don't we go on to bed as well Amanda?" Sandra asked as soon as Emily and Lily had disappeared up the staircase to the first year girls' dormitory.

"Yes, I am quite tired, and tomorrow is sure to be a busy day."

With that, Amanda and Sandra joined Emily and Lily.

"I am so nervous about this whole thing. The guys have been pretty decent to us lately. Do you think we really should do this to them?" Sandra asked.

"Yes, of course we should. Don't forget what they did to us. Even though it wasn't that big of a prank, if we let them get away with it this time, they will prank us many more times in the future and think they can get away with it," Emily said.

"We are lucky that we were able to get in there earlier today. We got most of it done. Now all we need is the potion and the final incantation and we'll be finished. I hope it works. It will be so funny tomorrow when they wake up as…"

"Oh look, that is the signal. They are asleep," Amanda interrupted.

The girls crept out of their room and into the boys' dorm. They each took a bed. Lily got James, Amanda got Peter, Sandra got Remus, and Emily got Sirius. They took out the vials of the potion that Lily had concocted earlier that day and poured it on the sleeping boys.

"Now for the incantation," Emily whispered.

They pointed their wands at each of the boys and muttered the incantation that would finish the prank.

Once it was finished, they crept back to their beds, anxiously awaiting the results the next day would bring.

Amanda woke first and proceeded to wake everyone else up.

"Get up! We have to go see if the prank worked!" Amanda said.

This woke all of the girls quickly and they got ready as fast as they could before heading to the common room to wait for the guys.

Ten minutes later, the Marauders came down the stairs, followed by Reuven who could barely contain his laughter.

When they entered, the busy common room become completely silent. Then all at once, everyone burst out laughing.

"What is their problem?" Sirius asked. "Do I look funny or something?"

"No, do I?" James asked.

"No, none of us do," Sirius replied. "So what is so funny?"

Reuven walked calmly over to the girls and said, "It worked brilliantly! They don't notice a thing, and they won't until someone says something about it. Hopefully it will be Snape or Malfoy. That would be hilarious."

The Marauders were still exchanging confused glances as they made their way to the Great Hall for breakfast.

As soon as they entered, they noticed that the same thing happened that happened in the common room. Everyone stopped what they were doing and started laughing.

"May I get the door for you ma'am?" some Ravenclaw 3rd year boy asked Sirius.

"Who do you think you are calling ma'am?" Sirius replied hotly.

This made the boy burst out laughing before walking the rest of the way into the Great Hall.

"What the heck was he talking about?" Sirius asked.

He received shrugs from the other Marauders.

At that moment, Lucius Malfoy strolled over with Snape following close behind as was per usual.

"You know Black, you make a pretty girl. You should stay that way all the time. Potter and Lupin don't look too bad either. I'd take any of you to my room to have a little fun. Pettigrew on the other hand, if it is possible, you look worse as a girl than you do as a boy," Lucius said before sniggering and motioning for his cronies to follow him out of the hall.

"What was he talking about?" Sirius asked, turning to James before his eyes grew huge and he gasped audibly.

James was doing about the same as Sirius. Remus was blushing horribly as he figured that he was in the same predicament as his friends, and Peter just tried to hide out of site behind Sirius.

"James mate, you look like a girl. Your hair is longer and you are wearing make-up. Plus, I think there may be a few additions to your anatomy, if you know what I mean," Sirius said.

"Same for you mate," James said, before the four of them bolted from the Great Hall.

They continued running until they were in their dormitory again.

"What happened to us?" Peter asked. "I don't want to look like a girl. Get it off!" he exclaimed while rubbing furiously at the make-up.

"I believe we have been pranked by someone," Remus said logically.

"No, really? I thought we just magically transformed into girls overnight," Sirius said.

"Um Sirius mate, we did magically transform into girls overnight," James pointed out.

" You know what I meant!" Sirius shouted. "Who would do this to us?"

"It might be easier to figure out who wouldn't do this to us," Remus said, massaging his temples.

"Well, it had to be a Gryffindor. No one else has our password," James pointed out.

"Do you think Reuven was involved? He might act nice to other people, but we all know he has a devilish mind when it comes to thinking up pranks," Sirius said.

"Yeah, but why would he do this? I thought we were becoming really good friends with him," James said.

"But we pranked Emily. There is probably something going on between them. I know he isn't telling us anything about it, but it is sort of obvious that they fancy each other," Remus said.

"You don't think Emily really fancies him do you? I don't. I think she only likes him as a friend," Sirius said.

"Um, okay. Whatever you say Sirius," James said, giving him a curious glance.

"Let's get back to thinking of who did this to us so we can make them reverse it," Peter said.

"It was probably the girls. They could come up with something like this and figure out how to pull it off easily. The magic isn't that advanced. Some of it is 2nd and 3rd year stuff, but with Lily and Emily, that wouldn't be a problem. Amanda and Sandra aren't exactly stupid either," Remus said.

"Are you sure it was the girls?"

"No," Remus said, "but we can still talk to them about it anyway."

Reuven entered the dorm at that moment, receiving icy glares from his four roommates.

"Did you have anything to do with this?" James asked.

"No. Why would I prank you guys?"

"Well, maybe because we pranked Emily and the other girls," Sirius said.

"I didn't have anything to do with it," Reuven said again.

"Well, will you tell the girls to come up here? We'd like to have a word with them," James said.

"Sure, I think they are in the common room. Let me go get them."

Reuven walked out of the dorm and headed to the common room. "The guys want a word with ya'll. Remember, I had nothing to do with it," Reuven told the girls.

"Don't worry, we won't tell about your part."

The girls took their time walking up to the boys' room. When they arrived at the door, they knocked before entering.

"Reuven said you wanted to talk to us," Amanda said innocently.

"Did you girls have anything to do with this prank?" Remus asked.

"Of course we did," Sandra said.

The other girls whipped around to look at her incredulously.

"Why did you tell them that?" Lily asked.

"I thought they were supposed to know so that they would learn a lesson," Sandra replied.

"No, they were supposed to figure it out on their own. Jeez, I can't believe you told them!" Emily exclaimed.

"Change us back now!" Sirius shouted.

"Um, no. I don't think we will," Sandra said.

"It is a little bit too late for that now," Lily said. "We would have said that if they had figured it out on their own." With that, Lily muttered a spell, and the boys were returned to normal.

"Thank-you. Now get out," James said coldly.

"You aren't seriously mad at us are you? Guys? Come on. It wasn't that big of a deal, and we did turn you back," Amanda said.

"The only reason we did it in the first place was to get back at ya'll for the prank that ya'll pulled on us. We figured that we could call a truce," Emily said.

"Well _ya'll figured wrong," _Sirius said, mimicking Emily's accent. "You know, that little accent is really starting to annoy me. No wonder all of those kids used to make fun of you. It is quite understandable," Sirius said

Emily glared at him. He knew that her accent was a sore spot as she wanted to fit in, but her accent made her stand out.

"Fine then," Emily said before she turned around and stormed out.

She made her way through the common room and up to her dorm. She was so upset that she didn't hear Reuven calling out to her.

Reuven followed Emily up to her room. He knocked softly on the door. When he received no answer, he turned the doorknob slowly before he cracked open the door and peered in.

"Emily?" Reuven called.

"Come in," was the reply that he received. He opened the door wider and went in, closing the door behind him.

"What happened?" he asked when he saw that she was sitting on her bed with tears running slowly down her face.

He walked over to the bed and sat down next to her. "Will you tell me?"

"It seems kind of stupid. I shouldn't be that upset over it. Really, it isn't a big deal. I guess I'm just a little bit emotional at the moment."

"I'm sure it isn't stupid. Why don't you tell me?" Reuven asked.

"Well, we were in your room and after Sandra ruined the prank by telling the boys that we were the ones that did it, Lily took the spell off. They were all really mad, and I tried to explain that we just did it so that we could get revenge for the prank they pulled on us. I asked if they were really mad at us, and Sirius was a real prat. He mimicked my accent and he said that it was understandable how people would make fun of me. He knows how bad I hate my accent, and how bad it bothers me. We were sitting in the common room one night when everyone else was in bed. I couldn't sleep, and he had just come back from raiding the kitchens. We were sitting on one of the sofas, and we were talking about things that bother us, things we don't like about ourselves, random stories, etc. I told him that story I told you about the kids who used to make fun of me for my accent, and how when I moved to England, it became much worse. Tons of kids made fun of me. Not just because of my accent, but because I was the new kid and I was different. I hate being different. He used that against me in front of everyone. I can't believe he did that. See, it really wasn't that big of a deal, but it still hurt my feelings. He'd seemed so sympathetic and sweet that night. I thought we were becoming friends, but I guess not."

"Emily, that is not stupid. That was cruel of him to use something that you had told him against you." With that, Reuven pulled Emily into a hug and rocked her slightly until she stopped crying.

As soon as Reuven left Emily's room, he ran straight to his to find Sirius.

"Sirius! Where are you?" Reuven yelled.

"I'm right here. You don't have to yell," Sirius answered walking out of the bathroom.

Once Sirius was in range, Reuven punched him in the face, hard. "How could you do that to Emily? She told you about how she feels about people making fun of her accent, and how she wants to fit in with everyone else. How could you use that against her? You are such a bastard."

Reuven turned and left the room, Sirius still lying on the ground with a steadily blackening eye.


End file.
